Tea in the Sahara
Kev: Critic & Podcaster
Welcome, podcast fans, to the summer edition of Tea in the Sahara, and this week’s BBC review: “The Skies Are Watching.” A BBC, recipient of this year’s Audio Fiction Award at the Tribeca Festival no less.
Remember writers & creators, I excel in exclusives, so cheers, Todd, for sharing early episodes with me for this very review. And trust me, listeners, what we are served up here is a crossroads podcast that’s part sci-fi thriller, part UFO mystery, and jampacked with a whole lotta homemade dynamite!
At the heart of this compelling audio drama lies a tragic pivot point: Heather Haskins disappeared whilst camping, only to resurface two years later on a flight with amnesia, and without a ticket. To fuel further disbelief Heather now believes she is a woman who went missing in 1938. But ultimately, how did she end up on that flight?
As we ride this obscure plotline pendulum, the ultra-extroverted Heather Haskins has been replaced by a shy, introverted woman named Coral, who disappeared in 1938. Cue the FBI, UFOs, religious cults, and gunmen shenanigans. Yep, you heard that right!
To lure you in Ep.1 begins with clever, progressive increments as the storyline drifts in and out of focus. I embraced the writer’s documentary-style design language, which, like a metronome helped establish the show’s pace and tone.
Therefore should you pack this podcast for your upcoming summer holidays?
“The Skies Are Watching” presents a unique and entertaining concept to complement any beach or pool setting. The US UFO conspiracy vibe reminded me of “The Signal” that I reviewed last year. So if you dig that show “The Skies Are Watching” ought to be on your download playlist.
The small voice casting is stellar, including wrestling icon Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts (remember him), adding a rich, raspy patina to his vocal delivery as UFO eccentric David Vance.
The intentional rough lo-fi audio enhances the texture of this podcast – a striking feature we’ve come to expect from audio dramas given the Goldhawk Productions treatment.
“The Skies Are Watching” is co-created by Jon Frechette and Todd Luoto, and is a Goldhawk Productions for BBC SOUNDS. The show premieres on the 5th of July for your listening pleasure – let me know what you think of it!
Before I shoot, just to let you know that the lads (Todd & Jon) said they would be keen to sit an interview with yours truly in the future – I will keep you posted.
Podcast submissions – tinthesahara@gmail.com
This week’s scores 8/10
Casting
STARRING:
Heather/Coral – Caitlin Stasey
David Vance – Jake “The Snake” Roberts
Rodney Haskins – David Yow
Constance Haskins – Guinevere Turner
Jana – Caroline Morahan
FEATURING:
Andie – Elizabeth Halpern
Investigator – Travis Harmon
Dr. Finkel – Brad Griffith
J.D. – James Bacon
Lee – Jamison Cush
Travis – Jonathan Shockley
ADDITIONAL CAST: Elise Adibi, AJ Crozby, Craig Davis Ayla Glass, Chris Goodwin, Christopher Joseph, Cassiel Marie Nona Getz, Jason Hamilton, Kurt Koller, Bobbi Maxwell, Daniel McAlister, Kona Morris, Roger Robles, Matthew Spaur, Dean Wendt, Rachael West, Nazgol Zand
Tea in the sahara 
Brilliantly put together story..I couldn’t help myself looking up the characters just to check if any of the story was part based on real people or stories. Excellent
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